On Aug. 23, OSHA unveiled its long-anticipated proposal to address crystalline silica exposure in the construction industry. As expected, the proposed rule drastically lowers the existing permissible exposure limit for respirable silica in the construction industry. 

The Louisville district of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) is soliciting comments from the construction industry on the potential use of a project labor agreement (PLA) for the Ambulatory Health Center (AHC) project in Ft. Knox, Kentucky.

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in August issued two decisions that hurt employees’ rights by inhibiting their ability to petition for a secret-ballot election after an employer recognizes a union as a monopoly bargaining agent and by creating a new standard for a bargaining unit.

The U.S. House of Representatives Nov. 30 passed the Workforce Democracy and Fairness Act (H.R. 3094) by a vote of 235-188. The bill is designed to counteract a proposed rule from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that would shorten the timeframe for union organizing elections and reverse the Board’s recent decision in Specialty Healthcare. 

As of July 30, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is fully staffed and the new members are likely to pursue issues the NLRB did not complete in past years, many of which are designed to facilitate or expedite the union organizing process.

ABC's Regulatory Alert provides an overview of the federally mandated rules, regulations and enforcement actions from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other federal agencies. Below are brief summaries of current issues, as well as links to more detailed information and guidance.

Two key pass-through structures favored by small businesses pay a significantly higher effective tax rate than large corporations, according to an Aug. 7 study released by National Federation of Independent Business and the S Corporation Association, of which ABC is a coalition member.  Analysis by Quantria Strategies shows that S corps will pay the highest effective tax rate in 2013 at 31.6 percent, compared to 29.4 percent for partnerships, 17.8 percent for C-corporations and 15.1 percent for sole proprietorships.  Effective tax rates are the percentage of income businesses pay in taxes.

Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Aug. 8 met with White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) officials to voice concerns about two anticipated final rules from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) that drastically alter existing affirmative action and nondiscrimination obligations regarding individuals with disabilities and veterans. 

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Aug. 7 posted an enforcement policy on its website, effective immediately, that clarifies it will not apply the provision under its revised hours of service (HOS) rule that requires drivers to take a 30-minutes break for every eight hours of consecutive driving to short-haul drives. 

The U.S. House of Representatives passed two bills in bipartisan votes that will help reform the regulatory process. The Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny (REINS) Act (H.R. 367) passed 232-183 on Aug. 2 and the Energy Consumers Relief Act (H.R. 1582) passed 232-181 on Aug. 1.